1. Introduce yourself!
I was born and raised in Morgantown, WV and currently reside in the neighborhood I grew up in with my wife, Meghan and two children, Lilla and Luca. We live close to family, which means lots of family dinners and get togethers.
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2. What do you do?
I am the co-owner and manager of Tutto Gelato Cafe. I handle the day-to-day operations and marketing.
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3. Where did you go to college?/What did you major in?
I attended WVU for undergrad and graduate degrees, receiving a Bachelors in Business Administration with a specialization in Marketing as well as a Masters in Integrated Marketing Communications.
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4. Tell me a little bit about Tutto Gelato.
Tutto Gelato stared as a small walk-up gelato and coffee “stand” in downtown Morgantown, WV. We served 18 flavors of gelato daily as well as having a full espresso bar. We eventually outgrew the space and wanted to grow the business into a full cafe by adding panini, homemade soup, salad and indoor seating. Finally, a space became available and we were able to make that dream a reality.
We are a family business and I have the privilege of having family as employees and coworkers from the day we opened.
Gelato is the driving force behind the cafe but we have recently expanded by adding homemade pasta to our repertoire. The pasta is being sold in two local restaurants currently and can be found packaged on our shelves.
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5. What made you want to open your business?
During the summer between my junior and senior year I went to Italy on a study abroad trip and it was simply love and first bite. Coconut Gelato. That was the one that really got me started. After that, I wanted to bring the culture and taste of Italy home.
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6. What’s your favorite part about your job?
There are probably several parts of my job that I could consider to be my favorite but one is coming up with new gelato flavors. My most successful one yet is possibly Pumpkin Spice.
7. What’s one of the most memorable moments you’ve had within your career?
One of the most memorable moment I have had is opening day at each location and being surrounded by family and friends. Being able to look back and see your creation with the people that helped you get there is incredible. Having close family and friends that you consider family.. they share in the passion with you.
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8. Any other fun facts about yourself, your job, etc?
In the stages of preparing to open our first location my cousin and business parter, Jenna and I, attended Carpigiani Gelato University in New York to learn the tricks of the trade. Since then, I have attended a Gelato Festival in Florence, Italy and SIGEP, a large trade show, in Rimini, Italy.